The flood has been top news all over North Dakota. Every night you see stories about roads being washed out and dams breaking. Today I am going to write about my hometown and how the flood has affected them. Lisbon, ND is a small town in south eastern North Dakota. All the water that flows through Valley City eventually flows right through Lisbon in the Sheyenne River. The flood stage in Lisbon is 15 feet. This spring a record crest of 23 feet rose in Lisbon. In my opinion the rising river crisis was handled very well. The communication between the city officials and the community was excellent. When a dike leaked and parts of the city needed to be evacuated it was fast and there was little chaos.
The city came up with a crisis plan and a way to communicate to the town. The evacuations were planned out and they let the people know in advance which evacuation area they were in. They also closed bridges and roads to keep people safe where needed. The mayor was the town’s spokesperson. Ross Cole did a great job keeping the town informed and he brought the town together in order to fight the flood. They had updates on the local TV stations and the local radio stations.
There is one aspect of the flood crisis that I think the town could do better on at this time. That is the crisis communication of the town’s water conservation. In my opinion I don’t think most of the town is taking this seriously. The city has put porta-potties all over town and had a message out to conserve water for over a month now. However, the schools have remained open and are still using the restrooms and dishes. This is not conserving the water at all. I am afraid is the town doesn’t make it clearer that things need to be done soon; the sewer system will break just like Valley City’s did. I don’t know what the city officials should do to better communicate this to the people, but they should really try harder.
The flood of 2009 was devastating for many people and is still affecting many today. I think for the majority the crisis communication of every area was well executed. So many homes were saved due to the caring people of this area and the fast thinking of our area leaders.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree everyone did a great job communicating with one another throughout this crisis. Everyone knows that communication is one of the most important things when it comes to events like the state of North Dakota is facing.This is something that the state has never faced and something that I dont think anyone ever expected. Keep up the good work ND and we will get thru this if we all stick together.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that the Flood of 2009 really brought our communities together. It didn’t matter if you were from Fargo, Moorhead, Harwood, Lisbon, Kindred, Valley City, or Kathryn (to name a few); everyone was there to help you avert the crisis.
ReplyDeleteMayors, city engineers, and other officials truly stepped up over the last few months and proved to the area why we elected/hired them to the positions they hold.
The small towns did have it harder than the metro areas, though. As you indicated, the media coverage there was not quite as great, so residents did not take the water warnings as seriously as they should have. Say what you will about the media, but they are always good at getting the word out!
I agree that the communication around the area has been great. I am not sure how it was down in Lisbon but around Valley City they have been on top of things. As for the conserving water I totally agree with you. It is terrible living without water so they should probably listen if the city is telling them to conserve. Not that going to the bathroom in Porta Potties is fun but they could just not flush if you just pee and take quicker showers and stuff. All those things would help save your sewer system.
ReplyDelete